Libya: In search of Ancient Splendor and the far flung outposts of Empire . A private trip offered by Stephen Harby, March 16 to 28, 2011 Libya has long beckoned to the intrepid traveler in search of spectacular landscapes, some of the best preserved Greek and Roman cities, and a culture that has remained distinct from the ever more homogenized modern world. Until recently it has been out of reach to most travelers and especially Americans, but that has changed, as the government of Mohammar Qadaffi now realizes the enormous potential for tourism the country possesses. Now is an excellent time to plan a visit to this fascinating country. Visitors still remain few and far between, which means that those of us intrepid and lucky enough to go will experience ancient sites that are free of crowds, even silent, and where visitors can wander at will without the barricades and restrictions that are increasingly hampering free access to the great archaeological sites of Greece and Italy. In the souks and medinas of the Islamic cities visitors will be warmly and graciously welcomed with delight and curiosity for the unusual phenomena that we are. For a short time yet, we are free of the curse, of being branded as tourists and the source of instant potential commercial windfall, that has befallen us in most of North Africa. Along with this, with the exception of the relatively new five star hotel in Tripoli where we will stay, facilities and services for foreign visitors can best be described as being in the “developmental” phase. While safe, clean, and acceptably comfortable, an adventurous spirit is the best key to having a trip of a lifetime! Our 12-night 11-day trip will take us to the fertile and verdant coastal strip of Libya that includes Tripolitania and Apollonia as well as deep into the Sahara to the oasis town of Ghadames . The former were the areas that the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans colonized and to which the Italians under Mussolini returned; the harsh desert to the south never saw significant settlement by the Ancients, however the fascists left their mark in terms of new towns, and tourist facilities which remain today. These successive occupations have all left their traces, in the form of spectacular cities (some of the best preserved in the ancient world) as well as some of the best of Italian modernism. And even today it is still possible to have a proper cappuccino just about anywhere! We will also see stunning examples of Islamic architecture and urbanism, and will experience a modern country, which through the omnipresent and charismatic influence of its leader can be said to be like no other in the world. Since we need to arrive all together given our group visa for Libya, we will use London as our jumping off point. Participants will travel there on their own, and assemble at Heathrow airport where we have arranged rooms at the Sofitel Hotel in Terminal 5, convenient for our flight to Tripoli the next day. In Libya we will begin in Tripolitania, familiarizing ourselves with Tripoli, and its sites nearby, then fly to Cyrenaica in the east. Returning by air to Tripoli, we will then drive south to Ghadames before finally returning to Tripoli to fly home via London. Arch of Septimus Severus, Leptis Magna Stephen Harby Invitational: Libya: In search of Ancient Splendor and the far flung outposts of Empire Page 1 Itinerary Day 1 Wednesday, March 16, 2011 Departure Depart home cities and travel independently to London, our gathering point for the onward journey to Tripoli. Day 2 Thursday, March 17 London Participants will arrive in London this day. Accommodation is provided at the Sofitel Hotel connected to Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport. We will assemble at a time to be determined (based on arrivals of participants) for a welcome cocktail reception and orientation about our trip ahead, followed by dinner at the hotel. Day 3 Friday, March 18 London to Tripoli After breakfast at the hotel, we will transfer to the check-in counter for our 9:20 am (BA 898) flight to Tripoli. Once there at 2:50 pm, after entry formalities (entering on a group visa) we will be met by our local guides Above: view of Apollonia; below: Map of area of tour and taken to the Corinthia Bab Africa Hotel, one of Libya’s few world class with major stops. (map, watercolors and all photos by Stephen Harby ������� ���������������� ������� ������������ �������� �������� �������� �������� ������� ����� ����� ����� ����� ���� Stephen Harby Invitational: Libya: In search of Ancient Splendor and the far flung outposts of Empire Page 2 five star hotels. It is sited beside the Mediterranean between the port and the medina and offers stunning views of all three. There will be time before dinner (no pre-dinner drinks, as Libya is strictly dry!) for a walk through the town, catching a glimpse of the Arch of Marcus Aurelius, which marked the center of Oea, the Roman city, now subsumed by Islamic and modern Tripoli. We will continue on, passing Green Square into the “new town” to promenade along the arcaded boulevards and into the squares grandly laid out by the Italians in the twenties and thirties. These evoke any number of provincial towns back home on the peninsula, but add an overlay of many north African stylistic influences which the architects sensitively introduced. We will pause at Maidan al-Jezayir (Algeria Square) by the main post office and former cathedral and nearby will see the former governor’s palace. Our group dinner will be in a nearby local restaurant. (Since the timing of Images of Colonel Qadaffi are ubiquitous! all this depends on our timely arrival, some of these sites may be deferred to the next or subsequent days if we run short of time.) Day 4 Saturday, March 19 Tripoli and Sabratha This morning we will begin with a visit to Tripoli’s new Interactive Libya Museum, which gives an overview of the history and setting of the country. Next, we will head west to Sabratha, an hour’s drive on the coast. This is one of the three great ancient cities of Tripolitania (among Leptis and Oea) and was settled from the 5th century BC, but its importance was established by Punic settlers from Carthage who chose it for the quality of its safe harbor. It was expanded by Hellenistic settlers in the 2nd century BC, and following a violent earthquake in the 2nd century AD (another one hastened its decline in AD 365), it was largely rebuilt under Roman influence in the form we see it today. We’ll spend several hours walking the beautiful The view of Tripoli from our hotel seaside site seeing temples, fora, basilicas, baths with vivid mosaics, and one of the most complete theaters in the Roman world, largely restored by the Italians. We’ll have a picnic lunch looking out over the sea from the rarely visited amphitheater. Left: The ancient Roman city of Sabratha is picturesquely situated right beside the sea. Tripoli’s Medina or old town, 19th c. clock tower Stephen Harby Invitational: Libya: In search of Ancient Splendor and the far flung outposts of Empire Page 3 Retracing our steps to Tripoli, we will have dinner in the hotel. Day 5 Sunday, March 20 Tripoli Today we will continue our explorations of Tripoli. First thing, we will visit the Jamahirya Museum between the medina and Green Square. Its collections contain everything from the VW Beetle that Colonel Qadaffi drove at the time of the 1969 revolution, to stunning antiquities from the major archaeological sites and extensive and detailed reconstructions of those sites. Following what will inevitably seem to be too brief a time in the museum, Arcades streets of Tripoli’s new town we will have a walk through the old town where for the rest of the day we will concentrate on the sites of the Karamanli House, Old British Consulate, Old Turkish Prison, St. George’s Orthodox Church, and the Arch of Marcus Aurelius. At lunch time we will take a respite in the Obaya Restaurant, an atmospheric and typical Libyan eatery. Time permitting we will enter the souk and browse in the stalls where we will be welcomed with some curiosity as visitors rather than as potential buyers, and surprisingly most merchants will carry on conducting their commerce as if we weren’t there. This will be quite a surprise to those who are expecting the sort of commercial frenzy that a visitor to the souks of Morocco, Tunisia or Egypt Three Graces (from Cyrene) attracts. Following this, we will return to the hotel, where we will have some free time before setting out for dinner in town. Day 6 Monday, March 21 Tripoli to Benghazi and Cyrenaica We will check out of the hotel and make our way to the nearby domestic airport for the short flight to Benghazi. After collecting ourselves we will set out on the several hour drive towards Apollonia, skirting the verdant Jebel Akhdar mountains. We will make a stop at Ptolemais, a vast beautiful site of Greek origins but with primarlily Greek and Byzantine remains. Continuing on to Apollonia, we will arrive at the recent Hotel Almanara just beside the archaeological site, and this will be our home for the next two nights. Before dinner we will be able to stroll from the hotel into the archaeological site of Apollonia. It was the port for Cyrene, and most of its remains date from the Byzantine era and are a series of churches rebuilt Theater, Sabratha Central Church, Apollonia Artemis (Leptis Magna) Stephen Harby Invitational: Libya: In search of Ancient Splendor and the far flung outposts of Empire Page 4 from Greek and Roman spolia.